Leaving Bali. Not leaving dinner.

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Kau Kee

Central, Hong Kong

Kau Kee has been trading on Gough Street since the 1930s, and the queue outside is treated by regulars as part of the meal. It is basic, tables are shared, and the beef brisket is the point: different cuts with your choice of noodles, in a clear tonic broth made with Chinese herbs or in curry. Order a milk tea, expect a stranger's elbow, and do not plan to linger.

Photo: Mak's Noodle via maksnoodle.com

Mak's Noodle

Central, Hong Kong

The bowls are small on purpose: four bite size wontons, springy egg noodles and a flounder based broth. Order two if you are hungry, which you will be. It is a quick, cheap sit down that fits neatly between the Airport Express and a check in time.

Sing Heung Yuen

Central, Hong Kong

Sing Heung Yuen is a dai pai dong, one of Hong Kong's open air street stalls, trading under canopies on Mee Lun Street near PMQ. The tomato soup noodles come in more than 20 variations, and the move is macaroni or instant noodles with egg or beef. Follow it with the crispy bun with butter, lemon and honey and a Hong Kong milk tea.

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Yat Lok

Central, Hong Kong

Each roast goose at Yat Lok goes through more than 20 preparatory steps and a secret marinade before it meets the heat. The family business was founded in 1957 and has run from Stanley Street since 2011, and it holds a Michelin star for, essentially, one bird. It opens daily from 10am to 8.30pm, does not take credit cards, and queues hardest at lunch.

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Maxim's Palace

Central, Hong Kong

Dim sum trolleys still do the rounds at Maxim's Palace in City Hall, from the group that pioneered taking the trolley into a smarter dining room. The hall is vast and chandeliered, Victoria Harbour fills the tall windows, and the queue is part of the ritual. Point at the trolley, accept what comes, and bring a big table if you can.

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BELON

SoHo and Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Belon on Elgin Street calls its cooking sincere modern French, and holds one Michelin star for it. Signatures include brioche beef tartare with caviar and duck with sour cherry and vine leaves. Book ahead and ask for the kitchen counter. This is the dress up option in SoHo, and the bill will remind you of it.

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Ho Lee Fook

SoHo and Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Order the roast goose with aromatic soy and plum sauce, the charcoal grilled Kurobuta char siu, and the Ho Lee duck, which is marinated for three days and served with pancakes and a mala beef sauce. It is dinner only, from 6pm nightly, so book, and check which dishes need ordering ahead.

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Chôm Chôm

SoHo and Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Chôm Chôm has held a Peel Street corner since 2013 and came back from a refresh with new cocktails, bia hoi style beer on tap and a tighter menu of Vietnamese street food plates built for sharing over a drink. Walk ins are welcome, which is exactly what a stopover needs: no booking, no deposit, just a stool and a cold beer.

Neighborhood

SoHo and Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

The address says Hollywood Road, but the door is down Man Hing Lane off Peel Street, and behind it Neighborhood is the busy, casual room of chef Lai. It holds a Michelin star without dressing like it. Book through its online booking page and preorder the platter, or you will spend the meal watching someone else's arrive.

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Honky Tonks Tavern

SoHo and Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

At 75 Hollywood Road, entered from Man Hing Lane, Honky Tonks Tavern keeps the promise short: cocktails, Nashville style hot chicken and thin crust pizzas with unconventional toppings. It is a bar that feeds you properly rather than a restaurant with a bar, which is useful on a red eye night when you want dinner and a nightcap at the same address.

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GINZA KYUBEY

Ginza, Tokyo

Hisaji Imada opened Kyubey in Ginza's eighth chome in December 1935, and the house is credited with creating gunkan maki, the nori collared boat that keeps sea urchin and salmon roe sitting on their rice. The Imada family still runs it. Book the counter and let the omakase run.

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Sushi Arai

Ginza, Tokyo

Tuna is the reason most diners chase a seat at Sushi Arai, where Yuichi Arai adjusts the cut and the vinegar in the rice to suit the fish in front of him. The main counter seats seven and leans on regulars, so a hotel concierge or reservation service is your realistic route in. A second basement counter under Yuki Usui is easier to book and still worth the trip.

Photo: Sushi Yoshitake via sushi-yoshitake.com

Sushi Yoshitake

Ginza, Tokyo

Masahiro Yoshitake's signature dish uses abalone twice: steamed, then served with a sauce made from its own liver, after which the leftover sauce is folded through a little sushi rice so nothing goes to waste. The rest of the omakase at this Ginza counter is exacting and priced accordingly. Seats are scarce, so book well ahead and treat it as the main event of the trip.

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Tempura Kondo

Ginza, Tokyo

Fumio Kondo treats tempura as a way of steaming each ingredient inside its batter, and vegetables get as much attention as seafood at his ninth floor counter in Ginza. The style is Edo tempura, the frying happens a metre from your plate, and the Michelin Guide gives it two stars. Ask for the vegetable courses and do not fill up on rice too early.

Ginza Shinohara

Ginza, Tokyo

Shiga born and Kyoto trained, the chef at Ginza Shinohara runs a basement counter where the hassun platter arrives as the seasonal set piece and a hot pot rounds the meal off. Two Michelin stars back the cooking. It is kaiseki with a Kansai accent in a small room where every seat faces the counter, so reserve early and arrive on time.

Myoujyaku

Roppongi and Azabu, Tokyo

Water and sea salt do most of the work at Myoujyaku, where Hidetoshi Nakamura keeps seasoning to a minimum so each ingredient leads. The Michelin Guide gives this Nishiazabu room three stars for Japanese cooking built on harmony and restraint. Nothing is added for show. Book as far out as the reservation system allows, and do not expect a walk in.

Sazenka

Roppongi and Azabu, Tokyo

Tomoya Kawada calls his cooking tea Zen Chinese, and Sazenka in Minamiazabu puts the idea on the plate: Chinese technique applied to seasonal Japanese ingredients, from spring rolls to Sichuan stir fries. The philosophy is wakon kansai, Japanese spirit with Chinese learning, and the room is hushed enough to let you hear it. Three Michelin stars. Book well ahead.

L'Effervescence

Roppongi and Azabu, Tokyo

Shinobu Namae runs L'Effervescence in Nishiazabu in the spirit of ichiza konryu, the tea ceremony ideal of host and guest sharing one gathering. The three Michelin star French menu runs from the signature Artisanal Vegetables to a risotto inspired by chakaiseki rice, and finishes with a bowl of weak matcha. Wine and sake pairings are offered. Book ahead and leave room in the evening; this is not a quick one.

Kanda

Roppongi and Azabu, Tokyo

Subtle flavour is true flavour, says Hiroyuki Kanda, and his three Michelin star counter makes the case course by course. His Tokushima roots show throughout: an indigo noren at the door, fish from Naruto, Awa beef on the menu. It is a quiet room for people who prefer whispers to fireworks. Reserve in advance.

Florilège

Roppongi and Azabu, Tokyo

Hiroyasu Kawate moved Florilège to Azabudai Hills, and the new room is built around a single long table facing the open kitchen, served table d'hôte style. The cooking is French at root, holds two Michelin stars, and Kawate is known for putting plant based mains front and centre. Book ahead and sit where you can watch the brigade, which is most seats.

Photo: Toyo Eatery via toyoeatery.com

Toyo Eatery

Makati, Manila

Toyo is Tagalog for soy sauce, and Jordy Navarra's kitchen at The Alley at Karrivin treats seasoning as the main craft, balancing soy, vinegar and fish sauce by hand. Every ingredient comes from the Philippines, fermentation happens on site, and the Michelin Guide awards one star. Book ahead, and ask about kamayan, a shared Filipino meal on banana leaf eaten by hand.

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Inatô

Makati, Manila

Ring the bell at Inatô, also in The Alley at Karrivin, and a marble counter for eight faces the open kitchen. JP Cruz reworks Filipino cooking with a light hand, and the Michelin Guide, which awards one star, singles out the yellowtail amberjack and a chocolate tart. Eight seats means booking is not optional.

Metiz

Makati, Manila

Stephan Duhesme runs Metiz on the ground floor of Karrivin Plaza, reworking traditional Filipino recipes through his years cooking abroad. Fermentation does much of the work, with house aged elements lifting vegetables and seafood. The Michelin Guide lists it. Come for the heritage and the argument with it on the same plate, and book, since it is next door to two of the other names here.

The Underbelly

Makati, Manila

Three types of noodle are made in house; Billy's pork rib ramen comes in a rich pork bone broth, and smoky edamame grilled with sesame oil is the side to add. It holds a Bib Gourmand, and it is the easy, casual option when the fine dining counters next door are full.

Helm by Josh Boutwood

Makati, Manila

Josh Boutwood's half British, half Filipino roots and his Spanish influences run through Helm, on the third floor of The Shops at Ayala Triangle Gardens. Themed seasonal set menus swing from street food to film inspired surprises, served at counter seats facing an open kitchen. It holds two Michelin stars and is the most theatrical night out in Makati. Book well ahead.